January 25, 2013

Painted DIY Roman Shades: On a Budget

SOOOO, this is what happens when you rent a house full of mini-blinds AND share that house with a curious cat:

Obviously, it got a little uncomfortable to live fully exposed to the neighbors so I needed a quick fix. Beautiful, sturdy, wooden blinds would be my preferred solution but too costly for a rental. Instead, I found 1 pack of THESE curtains at Ikea (discounted at $14.99 which equals about $2.30/yard), 5 yards of muslin ($0.90/yard) at Dallas's CHEAPEST fabric store, and THIS awesome tutorial on pinterest. With the cost of the fabric glue, my end product: 5 Roman shade window treatments for about $5 each.

I got a bit ambitious on the first shade and decided to paint THIS print on it. I like to call the finished look "free-hand weathered" basically because I didn't know what I was doing. So if any of y'all have tips on how to paint fabric, feel free to share! Here is what I did:

1. Print off desired shape and trace with a pencil or chalk the same color of the paint. (I used a pen the color of the fabric but it shows through the paint... bad idea)

2. Lay fabric flat on cardboard since the paint will bleed through.

3. Dilute the fabric paint just slightly with water (the more water you add, the more it will bleed) and paint over stenciled outline.

3 comments:

Shades are the best alternative window treatments at home, particularly if you have a cat. It is easier to use and very easy to do. Plus, you can choose any color and design you want that will perfectly match your home interior. Your design is beautiful!

Horatio must've been desiring for these Roman shades, which is why he decided to ruin the mini blinds. Hehe! It's really awkward to live fully exposed to neighbors especially when you just moved in. Blinds can maintain your privacy and can beautify your interiors at the same time. I just hope your dearest pet won't damage these again. :)